p cubed

Expertise in a topic does not make you an expert in presentation. You may know more than anyone else in the room. That does not necessarily mean they will understand by reciting that. Nor does not mean they will remember….
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The way presentations are currently constructed, delivered and received is not the result of laziness on the part of presenter or audience. Presentations are built with effort, intention and time but with a concept that breaks the result. The Japanese art of kintsugi recognises the value of a piece of pottery and in its damage, it is repaired, often with gold. Presentations are broken but should not be thrown in the trash. They can be repaired with kintsugi and returned to intended function and experiences of real value.

Poor presentations break proximity with a message that simply lists data. Slides that are beautiful but unrelated separate understanding from meaning. A fluent spoken message from a speaker disconnected from the audience loses impact. Great presentations have proximity.

So now what should we do once we have recognised that there is glitch in The Matrix? Change. Having seen that we fall into the trap of using the slidewear to construct a powerpoint rather than a message, what should we do? Understanding the Presentation Paradox that we do what we hate in the construction and delivery of a presentation, what should we do? Seeing that science describes the problem, even if we see the problem all around us so now what should we do? Change.

The blue wave is everywhere you look, and it defines presentations. Not from a design perspective because it sucks but because it defines how you and the world have learned to give presentations, by copying. If presenting feels hard, it is not because something is wrong with you. It is because no one ever showed you how to do it differently. You inherited a format, the template. The software opens with a title box, a bulletpoint list and the default template background. You went with the blue wave because everyone else does. You’re not lazy or careless, you are just doing what the system does; the blue wave.

You’re a better presenter right now, simply because you are considering presentations more consciously. You’re a better presenter because you want to stop the presentation paradox. You’re a better presenter because you have visited this site, even if that is just with questions. You’re a better presenter because you want to see change in presentations.